Fine Gael MEP Nina Carberry raised concerns with the European Commission about its plan to hit imports of thoroughbred horses from the US with trade tariffs, during a closed-door meeting.
Ms Carberry, whose husband recently took over a thoroughbred breeding company the couple set up together, questioned commission officials about the EU executive body’s proposal to threaten tariffs on the US thoroughbred industry.
The commission, which is leading the EU’s response in the transatlantic trade fight, has drawn up a range of US products it proposes putting tariffs on, in an effort to increase pressure on US president Donald Trump to roll back sweeping import taxes he has introduced on goods coming from Europe.
The Government is concerned at the inclusion of US aircraft, medical devices, agricultural products and bourbon whiskey on the commission’s proposed list of targets, which will be finalised in the coming weeks.
Marriage equality a decade on: ‘Things have gone backwards’
Rhasidat Adeleke on life in the spotlight: ‘How do people like Beyoncé handle this? This is crazy!’
Dara Ó Briain: ‘I always felt like the dumbest, ugliest person in the class’
Michael Gaine: Suspected body parts found in search for missing Kerry farmer
Ms Carberry flagged concerns she had about proposed retaliatory tariffs on thoroughbred horses sold from the US to EU states, at a recent meeting between MEPs and commission officials.
The former champion jockey queried the rationale for tariffs on thoroughbreds and bourbon with a high-ranking commission official, during a private briefing organised for MEPs and staff in the European Parliament on Tuesday.
Until recently Ms Carberry ran a small thoroughbred breeding business with her husband, Ted Walsh jnr. The company is mainly involved in the trade of horses between the UK and Ireland.
Ms Carberry stepped back from her role in the business and resigned as a director after she took her seat in the European Parliament last July.
Records show Ms Carberry owned the company, but a spokesman for the MEP said Mr Walsh had since taken over full ownership of the business.
The name of the company, which the pair set up together in 2011, was changed from Nina Carberry Racing Ltd to Ncw Activities Ltd last August, Companies Registration Office filings show.
[ WHO’s treatment of Dr Mike Ryan proves to be a shocking case studyOpens in new window ]
Ms Carberry was chief executive of the company, according to an ethics declaration she submitted to the European Parliament following her election.
A spokesman for Ms Carberry said the MEP’s links to the racing industry were well known and there was no question of any conflict of interest in her questioning of the commission.
In a statement, Ms Carberry said: “I raised my concerns with the commission earlier this week regarding the inclusion of thoroughbred horses and bourbon on the EU’s proposed US counter-tariff list.”
The Fine Gael MEP said she had asked for clarity on the “rationale” behind the inclusion of bourbon and thoroughbreds in the package of possible retaliatory tariffs.
“The commission responded positively to my concerns and confirmed they are seeking feedback on a number of items on the counter-tariff list as part of the ongoing four-week consultation phase,” she said.
Ms Carberry said Ireland’s thoroughbred industry had hugely benefited from free trade agreements with the US. “Any threat to these flows is deeply concerning and something I strongly oppose,” she said.
The Government is stepping up its own lobbying efforts to convince the commission to reconsider proposed tariffs on a number of sectors and products, such as aircraft and bourbon.
The commission will present a revised package of US products in the frame for tariffs next month, taking into account some requests for changes from national governments. The import duties will only kick in should efforts to agree a deal with the Trump administration to end the trade dispute fail.
A prominent figure in the horse racing industry and past winner of RTÉ’s Dancing with the Stars television contest, Ms Carberry was elected in the Midlands North-West constituency. She was selected as one of two Fine Gael candidates on the ticket, alongside sitting MEP Maria Walsh, who was re-elected.
